It's Long Past Time To Bring All Americans Home From Somalia

August 1, 1993|By Charley Reese, of The Sentinel Staff

It's long past time to bring all Americans home from Somalia The propaganda line unfortunately reflected by the news media is that, except for a few bad guys connected with one warlord, everything in Somalia is going along nicely.

That's bull. President Bush sent troops to Somalia unilaterally in December. He said it was humanitarian. He said it would be over probably by January. It is now August - a number of dead Americans and more than 750 million tax dollars later. And the United Nations spokesman, a retired American admiral, now says it will be over in 1995.

It's time to bring Americans home. Sen. Robert Byrd has said so, and he's right. What was sold to the public as a brief humanitarian mission is now intervention in a civil war. It never was about humanitarianism, but now even as an excuse that falls flat. It was about installing a docile Somali government - docile at least to the oil and financial interests. So far, they haven't found one.

Here is how it is in Somalia, told in the words of an American nurse in a letter to her family. The family shared the letter. I will not reveal her name.

''Compound is at sea level with Somali buildings on three sides and on the higher ground. I heard today they cordoned off those buildings because of all the hostile fire. Indian Ocean on the backside with five Marine ships just offshore. Somalis blew a hole in the U.S.S. Osprey the other night - no casualties. I probably told you the compound has been attacked by firefights every night I've been here.

''Anyway, you first distinguish as to whether the gunfire is AK-47, 20 millimeter, 50 millimeter rounds or whatever. Then, how far away is it? Then, whether to get on the floor with your gear on or not. If it sounds far enough away, you can go back to sleep on the floor if you don't mind helicopter gunship noise; scorpions and deadly poisonous sand vipers (have caught three already).

''These tents (latrines) were put up at the site of a mass burial ground area. . . . Somalis live right along the perimeters of the compound and even put up stands to sell stuff. . . . This is where you buy a club to beat people (kids) off the trucks - also where Somali kids can get close enough to put out your eye with slingshots (four so far) . . . .

''At night when they attack the airstrip, (warlord Mohamed Farrah) Aidid's men grab women and children from surrounding homes and make them get in front of the soldiers while they shoot at us . . . .

''Told you about convoy to 42nd field hospital (across town Mogadishu). Full gear plus protective eye goggles; club in left hand; .38 or M-16 in right hand (locked, loaded, aimed and finger on trigger). Gunfire on both sides of the road; people spitting on you; throwing rocks; screaming, 'Kill the Americans!'

''Did CNN tell you they killed six Marines? Seems to me all CNN shows is us shooting a child. I don't even watch it anymore. Helmets and flak vests aren't worth a darn - transported several guys with gunshot wounds to head (our guys). . . . Coming home soon (possibly, maybe, hopefully).''

We are not wanted in Somalia, nor can we solve Somalia's political problems. No Americans should be committed to war without a declaration by Congress, and if getting shot at in a foreign country on a nightly basis is not a war, what the heck is it?

Worse, there are at least 10 countries where American forces could be committed under the same pretense, and if we Americans don't let our politicians know that we are tired of our sons and daughters being used as mercenaries in political and financial schemes, they probably will be.

I have come to despise internationalists as warmongers, meddlers, thieves, arms merchants and killers. May God grant us one day an American government that will show some concern for the American people.